Review: Samsung X460 notebook

When Samsung first announced that it would be selling its notebooks in the US, the models that received the most attention were the lightest, thinnest ones. This is usually the case–they are the most lust-worthy models from the lineup–but the question was if they be able to stack up to the established players in the US market. We know that Samsung understands mobile (and netbooks), but how do the X460 and X360 notebooks stack up?

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Just like with the ThinkPads, Samsung’s X series marks their most portable laptops. Rather than go to a 12-inch model though, Samsung brought the US the X360 (13.3-inch) and what we’ll be looking at in this review, the 14.1-inch X460. They are both high-end, lightweight systems designed for savvy consumers and enthusiasts. The X360 starts at $1699 and the X460 starts at $1599, putting them in competition with products like Sony’s Z and SR, the Dell Latitude E4300 and a well-spec’d XPS M1330, and even the late 2008 MacBook. It’s a tough segment, but Samsung is a very capable company and they did a few unique things with the X models that should get some attention.

If you want to familiarize yourself with Samsung’s notebook offerings, make sure to check out our review of the Q310. It is a more affordable 13.3-inch notebook, though at 4 pounds and up to 1.5-inches thick it’s not as portable as the X models.

The X460 (the specific model is X460-44P) came outfitted with an Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 (2.26GHz) processor, 3GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 9200M GS discrete graphics (dedicated 256MB GDDR3), a 320GB 5400RPM 2.5-inch disk, and Windows Vista Business. This model also has Intel a/g/n WiFi, a 1.3MP webcam, Bluetooth, and a supermulti DVD drive (the X360 does not have an optical drive). The 14.1-inch display runs at a resolution of 1280×800 with 300 nits brightness. As for external ports, the X460 has a card reader (MS, MS Pro, SD, SDHC, MMC, MMC plus, xD), ExpressCard/34, three USB slots, modem, HDMI, ethernet, VGA, and mic/headphone jacks. The system has dimensions of 13.3 x 9.7 x 0.8-1.25-inches and weighs 4 pounds with the 6-cell battery.

When first seeing the X460 it’s clear this is not a notebook you see everyday. The red brushed aluminum on the lid helps make this clear, but what really sets the X460 apart is that it is a thin-and-light system that is actually very thin and quite light. The thin-and-light category has grown to encompass so many systems that something at the 4 pound mark and under an inch thick (at points) is quite portable, enough so that there is going to be a a number of buyers finding it hard to choose between the X360 and the X460. So while the X460 isn’t an ultraportable, it’s about as portable as you are going to get while still having an optical drive, a nicely spaced keyboard, and discrete graphics.

The X460 is thin and a great weight but it’s still built well enough to hold up. The bottom of the system has a solid, metal chassis and while the palm rests and LCD lid are largely plastic, the build quality seems fine. The LCD does actually have some flex to it, due to its thinness, but this was not a problem and a bit of flex is often built into these panels. The hinges are also plastic, but they seem to be wide enough to hold up.

Samsung chose to go with a chiclet (Sony-style) keyboard that spaces the keys out and looks better than a standard design. The keys themselves have an OK feel to them and while the spacing takes a little while to get used to they are predictable and comfortable to type on once you learn to hit the keys in their centers. The key action could be refined and a crisper click would go a long way to improve the experience. The Ctrl and Delete keys are in the right spots (bottom left and top right respectively) but Samsung chose to put Home and Fn (both double-mapped) over the left/right arrow as opposed to the more useful PgUp and PgDn buttons. The trackpad is large enough to use easily and the two buttons below it have short, distinct clicks that we see more systems moving to lately.

The X460’s 6-cell battery is said to be good for 6 hours, but in testing (backlight at 50%, WiFi running, doing general work) it was generally good for about 4 to 4.5 hours. This is acceptable for a thin-and-light, but it won’t distinguish the notebook from the competition. A 9-cell battery is available but considering the $230 price tag it’s not going to be a big seller.

The X460 is aimed more towards portability than it is performance, but the use of the P8400 processor and discrete graphics means that the notebook packs in more power than an ultraportable. Don’t expect a gaming laptop, but it will have more than enough punch to it to do some basic gaming, watch HD video, or use the HDMI output to watch something on a larger display. The 9200M GS managed a score of 14428 in 3Dmark01.

During general day-to-day use the X460 had no problems with multitasking and the thin profile combined with a generous keyboard/display made it a pleasure to use. Aspects such as the battery life and keyboard could be refined but the overall package is a solid one. Samsung’s notebooks may be new to the US market, but they clearly have had some experience with portable computing and the X460 reflects that.

{ad}The bigger issues with the X460 are the notebook’s price and the competition. There isn’t a lot of direct competition if you are looking for a 4.0 pound notebook with a 14-inch display (aside from the pricey Toughbook F8 or the older Y7) but if you are willing to add a bit of weight/thickness there are some great deals to be had. Selling for about $1600 the X460-44P isn’t particularly cheap which means the buyer is going to have to want this size and the optical drive specifically and will appreciate the thinness and design of the computer. The X460 is a very good computer and it is especially thin for its size, but considering that it is coming in more expensive than the new MacBook, the Dell Studio XPS 13, and some other very solid systems, it might be a tough sell. The X360 does a bit better job of distinguishing itself from the pack, but it increases the price as well, so might seem like an alternative, but it is aimed more at people looking for an ultraportable.

Speak Your Mind

Pookie

I’ve been using the G version of the 460 for about 2 weeks. It is everything I expected – fast, light and well built. It stays pretty cool, with the fan rarely kicking on. My old HP ran hot and the fan ran all the time. XP on my old machine hung up or crashed all the time. No such problem here. Vista is great. I can multi task with 3 or 4 apps open and running – no problem. I turned off the Aero features and removed all unnecesscary progams from start up and removed the crapware. The LED lit screen is very bright and noticable against any other notebook. Battery life is about 3.5 hrs which is good, not great. Speakers are loud and clear, but tinny. The 460G includes a led lit screen, fingerprint reader, bluetooth, wifi n, discreet graphics, core 2 duo (not the slower dual core), Vista Business ($100 more normally) – overall, for the $850 I paid for this – it is a bargain. Makes sure to use windows live shopping and get 5% back, on top of the $300 rebate. Comparable HP or Dells were $300 more and not as nice.